This invention relates generally to camera stabilization systems and more particularly to an improved lightweight hand-held or vehicle-mounted camera stabilization system, for use in photographic or video-related applications.
In many applications, including film production and consumer industries, high quality, lightweight and highly portable photographic or video equipment is now available to a wide range of users. Increases in the quality of the images produced by the equipment can accentuate the effects of any vibration or sudden movement applied to the camera through its mounting systems or through the hands of a user, and so various image stabilization technologies are available to combat these effects. These are especially important when the photographic or video equipment, referred to hereinafter as a camera, which may be a video or stills camera, is used in a moving situation, such as on a boat, airborne vehicle or terrestrial vehicle, since the motion of the mounting system can be unpredictable and can include sudden movements or vibrations translated to it by mounting mechanisms, or by a user. Image stabilization technology can help with the acquisition of high quality stable images, which are substantially free from artifacts resulting from vibrations or sudden movements which occur in a broad range of environmental or action situations. In the past, mechanical stabilizers, lens stabilizers, and electronic image stabilization technologies integrated into cameras themselves have been proposed.
A type of technology that is becoming increasingly prevalent is that of gyro-sensor stabilization. Stabilizing gimbal systems used in this area of technology incorporate 3-axis gyro-sensors to measure tilt, pan, and roll movements and counteract those movements using motors attached to a respective axis.